Somnopolis

You all know him of course. He usually plays lawyers, or doctors, a figure of middling authority. Perhaps he is so easy to cast in these roles because his bald head and spectacles suggest he is one of life’s middle managers.

Despite his vague appearance, Tobolowsky is something of an earworm, instantly familiar having appeared in over a hundred films and television shows since the early 80’s. Have a gander – Thelma and Louise; Basic Instinct; Seinfeld; CSI – Miami; Boston Legal; Freddy Got Fingered; Malcolm in the Middle; Garfield; Curb Your Enthusiasm; Deadwood; Heroes; Perry Mason; LA Law…

The list continues to grow, with a starring role in 1976’s Keep My Grave Open setting his career in motion.

Yet it was for his memorable scenes with Bill Murray in Groundhog Day that he is most remembered. Ned Ryerson, the insufferably annoying insurance salesman.

Ned… Ryerson. “Needlenose Ned”? “Ned the Head”? C’mon, buddy. Case Western High. Ned Ryerson: I did the whistling belly-button trick at the high school talent show? Bing! Ned Ryerson: got the shingles real bad senior year, almost didn’t graduate? Bing, again. Ned Ryerson: I dated your sister Mary Pat a couple times until you told me not to anymore? Well?

What strikes me most about Tobolowsky is the genuine pride he feels for his career of walk-on bit-parts. He takes the time to fashion something memorable out of a cameo, without having the advantage of celebrity or a striking face. His scenes in Memento as Sammy – a key figure in helping us understand the dilemma of the protagonist, despite his story occuring in flashback – are heartbreaking and touching all at once. Then there’s Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party a documentary that focuses on the actor himself. He obviously enjoys a reputation as being a safe pair of hands, one who won’t steal the spotlight from the glitzy celebs, but at the same time will make a scene work and add that something extra.

Bringing us bang up to date is his performance as the music teacher cum registered sex offender Sandy Ryerson in Glee. Is Sandy a cousin of Ned’s? Or perhaps a long-lost brother who fled a dreary life in Punxsutawney for a glamorous existence treading the boards….as a music teacher in William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. His delivery of the line ‘Kill yourself!’ has had me chuckling for days.

Ok here’s my argument, in brief, as to why Glee is a fantastic show.

They featured a team of American football players dance in formation to Beyonce. Ladies and Gents, gay culture just went mainstream. Hold onto your hats.

What I love most though is that that entire plot idea of mixing football with dancing previously featured in an episode of the Snorks I saw when I was a kid.